Third People's Health Assembly: Building the movement for Health for All

The Third People's Health Assembly (PHA3) will be held in July 2012 in Capetown, South Africa. The purpose of this session will be to share strategies for advancing the movement for Health for All developed during the Assembly. The Assembly brings together civil society organizations and networks, social movements, academia and other stakeholders from around the globe. It provides a unique space for strengthening solidarity, sharing experiences, mutual learning and joint strategizing for future actions. The objectives of PHA3 are: to increase the capacity of health civil society activists to engage with and intervene in the policy making process, to monitor and drive policy implementation and to ensure accountability in the functioning of health systems; to create opportunities for constructive dialogue, planning and mobilization around health and the broader social determinants of health, involving a broad range of stakeholders; and to create sustainable structures and dynamics, both within and outside the health sector, that will continue to drive coordinated action to secure universal and equitable access to health and health care. The main themes of PHA3 are: the global political and economic context of health; social and physical environments that destroy or promote health; universal coverage and equity in comprehensive and integrated health systems; and beyond the crisis: mobilizing for Health for All. After PHA3, the People's Health Movement will use the framework of its Right to Health Campaign to consolidate policy dialogue among national-level actors around strengthening health systems, addressing social determinants of health and democratising governance for health.